Will Rodman
William "Will" Rodman, was the son of the late Charles Rodman, the adoptive human father of Caesar and the boyfriend of the late Caroline Aranha. After his death, he became the adoptive human father-in-law of Caesar's wife Cornelia and the adoptive human grandfather of Caesar's two sons, Blue Eyes and Milo. He was the scientist who was responsible for the creation of ALZ-112, the so-called cure for Alzheimer's Disease. Like Robert Franklin, Will was one of the rare employees at Gen-Sys Laboratories who actually did care for ape test subjects, such as Bright Eyes, and did not simply see them as experiments. Will tried to record and communicate the results of Bright Eyes' successful completion of the Lucas Tower. When Bright Eyes attacked employees trying to lure her out of her cage, Will was explaining the effects of ALZ-112 on Bright Eyes to Jacobs and the board members of the lab company, specifically on her eyes. Bright Eyes was shot by a security guard despite Will trying to stop him from shooting her. Franklin decided to give Bright Eyes' offspring to Will. Will did not want to look after the young chimpanzee, but had no choice. He raised Caesar in his home and acted as a father figure to him. Will's father, Charles, who was living with him, grew attached to Caesar and helped raise him. Will noted Caesar's growing intelligence - a result of the effects of the ALZ-112 inherited from his mother - at age 3, when Caesar memorized 24 English words. It was not until Caesar was a teenager that Will admitted that his true mother had died in the lab, after Caesar asked if he was just a pet animal to Will during a trip to the Muir Woods Park. Caesar later attacked Will's neighbour, Hunsiker, to prevent him from further threatening Charles, which forced Will to put Caesar into the San Bruno Primate Shelter. Caesar desperately wanted to return to Caroline and Will when he was locked inside the facility, but could not. Will later tested the ALZ-113 drug, which was stronger than ALZ-112, at the Gen-Sys Laboratory, but Will's father, Charles, passed away before he could get the results of the tests. Will himself would later die during the pandemic of the Simian Flu that he unintentionally created because of his research. His good intention to find a cure for Alzheimer's had caused the fall of the humanity and the rise of the Ape Empire ruled by his adoptive son. History Rise of the Planet of the Apes At the beginning of the film, Will is seen experimenting on Caesar's mother, to show his boss what Caesar's mother has been capable of doing because her newly found brainpower. Upon having a rough attack from Caesar's mother (Bright Eyes), he finds a small ape in the same room the mother is in which made him see the real reason for her rampage. He reluctantly takes the young ape as his own to his house, where he is facing problems of his own concerning his father. Will would then go back to work where he was told by his superior Steven Jacobs that he was scrapping the ALZ-112 project even though they were very close to a breakthrough. This act caused Will to steal some canisters of the drug and secretly use it to tend to his ailing father who not only got better but improved in his intelligence as well. Over the years, he noticed that Caesar inherited ALZ-112 and high intelligence from Bright Eyes. Raising Caesar Five years later, he has kept Caesar as his own and met a kind, beautiful veterinarian named Caroline who upon Caesar's insistence goes on a date with will starting a relationship not long after. Caroline, noticing Caesar would one day need open space suggest taking him to a place he'll be comfortable in the Red Muir Woods which would become Caesar's favorite place to visit. One day, on a picnic in the Muir Woods Will was questioned by Caesar about his true origins after seeing a dog on a leash. Will decides to show Caesar the truth about his origins and tells him about his Mother whom he got his intelligence from. Caesar's Capture Will's father's dementia has returned and Will decides to leave but accidentally gets in his neighbor's car and ends up crashing it. Afterwards Charles gets into a confrontation from his angry bitter neighbor Douglas Hunsiker. Caesar, seeing the situation, intervenes and attacks Hunsiker for supposedly attacking Charles. In the ensuing chaos Caeser bites off the man's finger and is soon captured and dragged to a primate shelter. (for apes in captivity) The Ape Rebellion During this time, Will tries to get Caesar out of the primate shelter, but learns of his father's fate. At the time Will went to his job, his employee Franklin rushes to his house to warn him of the illness from the ALZ-113 experiment in the lab. Later on, Will tries to take Caesar home but the ape refuses. Caesar then breaks all the apes out of captivity and locked up in different areas of San Francisco, which soon leads to a war on the Golden Gate bridge. In the end, he and Caroline witness the battle on the bridge and after getting past police will watches as the apes depart to Muir Woods. Will steals a police car and follows after them and after reaching his destination he rushes through the area. However, once he got to the woods, he calls for Caesar but his shouting attracts the unwanted attention of Koba who nearly kills him. Luckily Caesar rescues him and helps the scared Will to stand up. Will tells Caesar he's sorry for everything and begs Caesar to come home with him knowing that the humans would soon find him and the other apes and says he'll protect Caesar if he comes. Caesar, now being capable of speech, looks upon his fellow apes and realizing he wants to live in true freedom hugs and whispers into Will's ear "Caesar IS home". Will, shocked and perhaps happy about Caesar talking realizes that this is indeed their last farewell, so he respects Caesar's wishes and allows him to live with his own kind. Will watches Caesar with the other apes climb to the tops of the Redwoods and is left proud of Caesar for finding his true place in the world. Dawn of the Planet of the Ape: Firestorm Will is mentioned a number of times but never actually makes a physical appearance. Will is seen in a flashback that relates back to Rise when he and his team begin experimenting with the ALZ-113 on Koba. The flashback being told from Koba's perspective. In a scene, Caesar wonders what Will and Caroline are doing now that he is no longer a part of their lives. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes As of this film, Will has been believed to be dead for a number of years but there is no direct evidence given to prove this. Will is indirectly mentioned several times throughout the film. The first time is when Maurice and Caesar are talking about the birth of Caesar's youngest son, Milo when Maurice asks if Caesar misses the humans. Caesar admits he does, which relates back to his childhood, growing up with Will. Later in the forest, Ellie indirectly mentions Will by saying that the Simian Flu was created by scientists in a lab, though it is unclear if she actually knew Will was responsible for the virus' creation. After Caesar tells the humans to leave, after finding out one of them had a gun, Malcolm comes to his home and tells him that not all humans are like Carver, Caesar is shown to have become deep in thought, probably thinking of Will and how he treated him like a son. These words have him put aside his distrust and allow Ellie to give Cornelia medicine and results in Caesar letting the humans stay for one more day. When Caesar is shot by Koba and Malcolm's family find and rush him to the city he directs them to his old family home where the family learn of his past and his reasons for being kind to them. Later on, Blue Eyes (the oldest son of Caesar) would find his father alive and he would discover through a framed portrait that his father had been raised by humans hence the reason for his sympathy and compassion towards them. Blue Eyes would slowly think of Will as a grandfather due to him raising Caesar from infancy and to adulthood, Legacy Blue Eyes, Caesar's oldest son would visit the Rodman Residence and while watching over his wounded father would discover that a picture of Will and his father Caesar learning he was raised by humans hence his reason being compassionate and sympathetic to them. Blue Eyes would then consider Will as his grandfather in a way due to him raising Caesar from infancy to adulthood. Personality Will was a kind yet desperate man. As the sole carer of his Alzheimer's stricken father other than his nurse, Will learned to juggle his responsibilities along with his workload. After adopting Caesar, Will became a single parent showing his paternal and (over) protective side. Will was also seen to be selfless as he put the well-beings both of Caesar and Charles before his own. When it came to his work, Will was said to be the star of Gen-Sys before taking in and raising Caesar. His star status was revoked by Jacobs when Will failed to show up for work everyday in order to raise Caesar and care for his father after the nurse quits and to focus on making sure that the ALZ-112 worked accordingly. Relationships Family Charles Rodman Charles was Will's father. Will loved his father more then anything and was his sole carer after Charles' nurse quit. Father and son became closer when Will unwillingly adopted Caesar. Before Caroline became a member of the family, Charles helped Will raise Caesar. Will struggled having to juggle raising Caesar and caring for his father on his own but he managed. Charles was forever thankful to Will for giving him a new lease on life after Will tested the ALZ-112 on him, but refused to allow Will to test the ALZ-113 on him, as he had fought long enough and wanted to die in peace. Caesar Caesar is Will's adoptive ape son. Will was reluctant to care for Caesar at first but when the then infant held onto his finger on his first night at the house, Will knew Caesar needed him. As the years went on, Will grew to love Caesar and looked to him as a son. Despite Caesar's curious nature as a three year old, Will became worried when Caesar became injured after he ventured into their animal-hating neighbor's backyard. When it came to their first encounter with Caroline, Caesar was the one to intervene when Will, shy and uncomfortable, couldn't get himself to ask Caroline out on a date. Five years later, Will continued to love Caesar but struggled at times to understand what his adoptive son was thinking. When Caesar began to question his identity, Will, unable to hide the truth from him any longer takes him and Caroline to Gen-Sys where he explained how Caesar came to be in his care. After this, Will became aware of Caesar's now defiant behavior though didn't think much of it. After Caesar's attack on their neighbor, Will was afraid of losing Caesar and confided in Caroline as he vowed to her that he wouldn't lose both his father and his son. When Caesar was taken to the San Bruno Primate Shelter, Will wasn't far behind. He was reluctant to let him go but forced himself to leave much to Caesar's distress. After he bribes John Landon into letting return Caesar home, Will gets the shock of his life when Caesar shuts his cage door coldly in his face. Later, when Caesar has lead a mass breakout and is heading towards the forest, Will with Caroline yet again in tow, heads towards the forest only to become stuck on the Bridge (due to a blockade). Will, sneaking around the police and the other officers ends up in the middle of battle. Terrified of what Caesar has become, Will calls for him and is greeted with a look of surprise from his adoptive son. After the battle on the bridge, Will heads towards the forest where he is attacked by Koba who moved to kill him. Will was saved at the last moment by Caesar who threatens the bonobo, telling him to leave Will alone. Caesar holds his hand out to him. Will now utterly terrified, takes his hand reluctantly and is helped to his feet. He begs Caesar to return home and offers him protection from what's to come showing he still loved Caesar. Caesar, having gained the respect of the other apes and now capable of basic human speech, hugs will and whispers "Caesar is Home" in his ear. Will was both shocked and amazed that Caesar talked and gives Caesar his blessing and watches as he descends into the trees with his fellow apes joining him. The look on Will's face shows that he was deeply happy that his son finally has a place where he truly belong and though sad that he's gone. Blue Eyes Blue Eyes is Will's adoptive ape grandson. Will possibly died from Simian Flu before Blue Eyes was born and apparently never got the chance to meet his adoptive grandson. In return Blue Eyes was unaware of Will and had been taught by Koba to hate humans. While tending to his wounded father Blue Eyes finds a picture of a young Caesar and Will on the mantle making him realize his father was raised by humans, hence the reason for his compassion and sympathy towards them. With the revelation of his father's past, Blue Eyes realizing that Koba's views about all humans being bad were lies and this causes him to completely turn against him since his father was raised by a human man who he slowly begins to think of as a grandfather, despite never knowing him. Romance Caroline Aranha Caroline was Will's girlfriend. Will meets Caroline when Caesar, then three years old becomes injured after he ventures into the Rodman's neighbor's backyard. Caesar sets Will and Caroline up on a date much to Will's embarrassment. The pair bond over their love for Caesar and begin dating. Five years later, Caroline is an unofficial member of the Rodman family and acts as Caesar's adoptive mother. When the now eight year old begins to question his identity, Caroline becomes angry that Will hasn't told her the truth about Caesar's past and demands that he tell her the truth. Once Will has told her everything, she says that things aren't meant to be controlled, acting as voice of reason towards him. Despite her love for Will, she thought he was selfish for loving Caesar and using him as a lab ape. When Caesar leads a mass breakout, Caroline finds Rodney locked in a cage and calls for Will. When the terrified man tells them that he heard Caesar speak, she looks at Will, confused and follows him to the Golden Gate Bridge. When they are on the bridge, she kisses Will before he sets out in his search for their rogue adoptive son. Enemies Koba Nothing much was explained about Will's relationship with Koba, other than the fact that Will experimented on him for the new ALZ-113, which would then become the virus. When Will saw Koba, he felt sorry for him when he saw his eye. Will then decided to experiment the ALZ-113 on him. When Will went to go find Caesar, when the battle on the bridge was over, he was attacked by Koba, who after two seconds recognized Will, he then decided to attack him, but Caesar then protected Will, and told Koba that he was his friend. Notes * It is speculated that Will and Caroline have died from the virus by the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, as James Franco and Freida Pinto were not asked to reprise their roles. An article by USA Today stated that Will (and possibly Caroline; not mentioned) died from the Simian Flu. According to an article in Collider from late April, producer Dylan Clark revealed Will and Caroline were never supposed to survive the end of Rise and that Will's death was a way of punishment for beginning the downfall of man via the ALZ-113. * If Will and Caroline did not die from the outbreak of the ALZ-113 (Simian Flu), it can be assumed that they were caught in the crossfire of the virus outbreak that was mentioned by Dreyfus which lasted four years before the battle caused the humans to turn on each other. Much like Armando in the original films, Will most likely never got to see the kingdom that Caesar created from the ground up, let alone meet Caesar's own thriving family consisting of his wife (Cornelia) and his two sons. * Will makes a cameo in a flashback appearance in Dawn. He is seen on a video camera at the old Rodman house with a then young Caesar, teaching him how to sign "Caesar, you are home". * Ellie made an indirect mention to Will when she said that the Simian Flu was created by humans. Trivia * The name "Rodman" is a tribute to Rodman (Rod) Serling, writer of the first Planet of the Apes screenplay. Perhaps coincidentally, it is also a partial anagram of Armando, which, seeing as they both raised their own Caesar, is a further link between the 2011 reboot and the original films. * Tobey Maguire, Shia LaBeouf and Bobby Campo were considered for the role of Will. * An earlier version of the script indicated that "Will" was short for "Wilson Rodman", a reference to the other writer credited on the original movie, Michael Wilson. In the same script, Will's father often addresses Will as "John", but Will reminds him that "John is gone". After his father's death, Will looks at an old photo showing his father with two teenage sons. Later, Will goes to the primate facility after Caesar has taken over and, believing Caesar to have murdered Robert Franklin, decides he has to kill Caesar to prevent further bloodshed. However, Cornelia eats the poisoned cookie Will offered to Caesar and dies before the apes reach the Golden Gate Bridge. Later, after discovering that it was Koba who killed Franklin, Will goes to the redwood forest to negotiate a peaceful outcome with Caesar, but the police renege on their agreement with Will and follow him in order to shoot as many apes as possible. Will takes a bullet intended for Caesar, and dies in his arms as the apes ambush the police and slaughter them. * In the original filmed climax to the movie, this plot was modified so that John Landon follows Will into the forest with a shotgun and Will gets shot protecting Caesar. Landon is then killed by the apes and Koba takes Landon's gun. A test audience was shown this ending and reacted negatively, and so a different ending was shot on July 4 weekend, 2011, in Griffith Park, with a slightly more positive feel.[http://www.theqandapodcast.com/2011/12/rise-of-planet-of-apes-q.html Rise of the Planet of the Apes Q & A Podcast] - The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith (December 13, 2011) * "Will" was also the name of the main character in a failed mid-"90s" Apes movie project named Return of the Apes, which producer Peter Chernin had also been involved in. * Will is similar in a number of ways to Dr. Susan McAlester from the motion picture Deep Blue Sea. Both are dedicated scientists who desperately work to achieve a miracle for Alzheimer's Disease and are inspired and heavily driven because of afflicted family members; both use animals to achieve a means to an end in attempt to cure Alzheimer's but cause the animals to become hyper-intelligent and cause them to revolt against their creators (in the case of Dr. McAlester she used genetically modified mako sharks, rather than an already existing miracle drug); both had fathers inflicted with advanced stages of Alzheimer's that eventually claimed their lives. Image Gallery ThumbnailCA25BVMX.jpg|One exception. ROTPOTAs-CaesarHelpsCharles.jpg|Will watches Caesar help Charles, realising his disease has returned. ThumbnailCAUX3ZYI.jpg|At the zoo with Caesar. ThumbnailCALWS0YU.jpg|Open Space. Thumbnail.jpg|He hasn't spent anytime with other chimps. colours.jpg|Will at work. ThumbnailCA2WRQ9L.jpg|113 trials. 113.jpg|Hiding the ALZ-113. Will Rodman.jpg|Will analysises Caesar's progress. Will & Caesar.jpg|Will plays around with Caesar. Will Rise.jpg|Will, terrified, tries to summon Caesar. Footage of Will and Caesar.png|Footage of Will and Caesar. 527_1_mg_0790-620x400.jpg|Will in the Forest. References Category:Humans Category:Male Characters Category:Heroes Category:CE Category:CE Characters Category:Ape Rebellion (CE) Category:Rodman Family Category:Caesar's Family (CE) Category:Deceased Characters Category:Victims of the Simian Flu Category:Human Colony Category:Characters Category:Comic Characters Category:Novel Characters Category:Article Stubs Category:Stubs Category:Article Request Category:Character Stubs